"He's the greatest of all-time - Tadej has changed cycling": Pogacar's former coach astonished by Worlds road race exhibition in Kigali

“He’s the greatest of all-time. Tadej Pogacar has changed cycling.” Those were the emotional words of Tomaz Poljanec, one of the mentors who guided Pogacar through his earliest years back in Ljubljana, as he watched his former rider storm to a second successive rainbow jersey at the 2025 World Championships in Kigali.

Pogacar’s demolition of the field in Rwanda, launching his decisive move with more than 100 kilometres still to race, left even seasoned observers struggling to process what they were witnessing. For Poljanec, who worked with the Slovenian phenomenon at Ljubljana Gusto Xaurum back in 2018, the impact was obvious. “In truth, Tadej has changed cycling. A 270-kilometre race used to be boring. You could skip three-quarters of it, switch on for the final hour and still see everything. Now you can’t – you have to be in front of the TV from the very start,” he said in conversation with Siol post-race.

It was an attack reminiscent of Zurich 2024, though this time the decisive move came on Monte Kigali rather than from 100 kilometres out. “Races like this used to happen only at junior level, when the action was flat out from kilometre zero. Among the seniors, it was usually only more exotic riders who tried such things – ten, twenty minutes up the road, and still they got caught. This time the pace was high from the start. The breakaway wasn’t full of weak riders, and the course was made for Tadej.”

Evenepoel was the only rider able to mount any sort of challenge, despite twice changing bikes. “Would he have been a bigger threat without the problems? I don’t think so,” Poljanec said. “At Monte Kigali he simply couldn’t follow. And if you can’t in the decisive moment, the outcome doesn’t change.”

On the climb, Pogacar was flanked by UAE teammates Isaac del Toro and Juan Ayuso, a reminder of the team dynamics that have often bubbled beneath the surface. “Ayuso is just a fiery youngster. A year ago he was saying he’d be the new Pogacar, that others should work for him. But Tadej has already proved himself over 270 kilometres, Ayuso and Del Toro haven’t. Del Toro, I believe, really did have stomach problems – he looked strong otherwise and I’d have been delighted if he’d taken a medal. He’s a good lad, wholehearted and popular. We’ll hear plenty more about him.”

Poljanec’s memories extended beyond Pogacar. Back in 2016, as general manager of Attaque Team Gusto, he had a young Jai Hindley in his squad. The Australian was the best of his nation in Kigali, but only 16th. “The race was just too hard, it cut them to pieces. When I saw Jai near the front, I thought maybe he could medal. But like so many others, he faded. Even Pidcock cracked, sprinting with Roglic only for tenth.”

Only 30 of 165 riders finished in Kigali. Slovenia not only delivered the winner but also placed Matej Mohoric in 11th. “That’s fantastic. I come from Yugoslav cycling, when we were happy if one rider even finished an international race. Now we’re the best in the world. It’s a dream – let’s enjoy it while it lasts,” Poljanec said.

He was equally struck by the unity of the team: “I think Tadej connects the group. The atmosphere is good, the lads know why they’re there. With a leader like Tadej, everyone gives everything. Roglic did his part too, and if anything had happened to Pogacar we had a backup. For such a small country, struggling even to put nine strong riders together, we looked like Belgium or France. As if Slovenia didn’t have 30 riders, but three thousand. And that was without Jan Tratnik, who’d have been a key helper.”

Rwanda’s staging of the Worlds also earned glowing reviews. “It looks like a masterstroke. Those crowds – smiling, cheerful, passionate – you don’t see that anywhere outside the sport’s heartlands. People told me it was one of the best Championships ever. The UCI, for all the criticism, made a brilliant call,” Poljanec said.

As for Pogacar’s future, Poljanec believes his hunger is about more than collecting trophies. “It’s not that he wants everything. He simply loves cycling. At 15 he probably already knew he wanted to win Milano–Sanremo, whether the parcours suited him or not. That’s his favourite race and I’m sure he’ll do it, just as he did in Flanders. He doesn’t follow unwritten rules – he ignores the idea of waiting until the right moment."

“He’s not obsessed or greedy. He relishes the challenge. He loves to race, and while he enjoys it, he’ll keep doing it brilliantly," he concludes. "For me, I enjoy every minute of his racing. It’s a real privilege to follow him.”